advice on possible clutch problem

[cupra20v.t]

4.2 ajp. drives and engages gears fine (bar 2nd) clutch doesnt slip and doesnt differ its feel its allways felt the same.

i have a bit of a habit of resting my foot on the clutch and recently i have noticed whilst cruising along i can feel the clutch peddle slowly drop like the fluid is passing the seals in the master cyclinder and the pressure point/feel through the pedal is like half way. if i depress the cltuch then the pedal goes back to normal with its pressure point in the usual place.

it will only drop after ive rested my foot on it for like 30seconds constant.

the fluid level is good and i havent had to top it up since owning, its not leaking anywhere. will this be the seals breaking down in the master cylinder allowing fluid to squeeze past the seals when there is light wieght on it? as i have said if i dont rest my foot on it and use clutch as i should then there is no problem, but i have found this problem and would like to renew seals or cylinder if poss so that the issue doesn't develope it something major

any advice is appreciated

[BLUETHUNDER]

It could also be the slave.

[WorAl]

sounds like it could be the slave cylinder....just had mine replaced, it had similar symptems.

[cupra20v.t]

if it were the slave would fluid leak into the bell housing and onto the floor?

[cupra20v.t]

slave in on the box correct?

whats the cost of a new slave and are they stock T5 items?

[BLUETHUNDER]

cupra20v.t said:

slave in on the box correct?

whats the cost of a new slave and are they stock T5 items?

A. C.T. one is about £230.Well it was when i bought one last year.

Edited by BLUETHUNDER on Thursday 6th November 13:09

[cupra20v.t]

ouch, can new seals be bought or gerneric O rings

[BLUETHUNDER]

You can buy seals.But i always have the belief that if the slave is scored inside,you will be doing the job all over again at extra cost.

[clive f]

you can get seal kits for them, try tvr car parts at dulfords.

[brogenville]

You could also do what I did when my slave seals went, which is to remove the slave and have the internal surfaces honed, then rebuilt with new updated seals and a new release bearing. Forty quid for the lot and better than new as the reason the slave fails is due to the very poor machining quality of the moving surfaces which eat into the rubber seals. you can't do that if you've got big chunks out of the metal, but I would bet that the majority of slave cylinders could be repaired this way.

[cupra20v.t]

cheers, that method will suit my pocket at the moment.

when i have the engine and box out i will remove the slave and inspect.

[WorAl]

cupra20v.t said:

if it were the slave would fluid leak into the bell housing and onto the floor?

Mine was a very small leak past the seals (as they were scored), the fluid didnt leak onto the floor so i couldnt tell untill i couldnt engage any gear after about 2 month of first symptems.

Edited by WorAl on Thursday 6th November 13:30

[GreenV8S]

The only way the slave could cause this is for it to have a leak, in which case you'd very quickly run out of clutch fluid. If you aren't losing fluid then a faulty seal at the master is a far more likely cause. That's just as well because it's far easier and cheaper to repair.

Resting your foot on the clutch is a very bad habit to get into and could see you facing a four figure repair bill when you knacker the clutch release bearing, so unless you're happy throwing that sort of money away I suggest you get out of the habit pronto.

[cupra20v.t]

i only rest it on there, i hardly place any weight on it as the side of my foot rests on side of the centre tunnel. the weight just presses the pedal so it takes the play out of the pedal to the point just before the clutch is stiff. the cluctch is never depressed whilst driving so the clutch is never ridden in that sort of manner, but i understand that its a bad habit so im trying to change it but my achilies tendon throbs when i hold my foot off the clutch. i wish i had room to install a pilot rest.

what do others do? there is too much time involved if i rest my foot flat on the floor, to being able to whip it up to the clutch in an emergency.

[trackcar]

if the fluid level isnt going down you are not losing fluid, therefore the only place it can b leaking is via a poorly sealing recuperating valve in teh end of the master cylinder. if the master cyl bore is not scroed then a rebuild kit is the cheapest and most convenient option

[cupra20v.t]

will check when its all out. cheers for the quick replies guys as usual